The Ballad of Calice Remastered
by olatheii
Summary: The cover pic you can find by looking up "Lilim mge" on Google images if you are looking for it lmao. Basically the SaMe StOrY but I use my feedback and improved writing from the get-go. Your feelings for Issia - Gone. The Mindflyer - Gone. Ships - Gone. Harpy - Gone. Your mom - Gone. Cringe - Forever ... I think I have the record for the worse use of a 385-word summary possible.
1. Chapter 1

_World-Building, races, and locations belong to Kenkou Cross and Monster Girl Encyclopedia. I do not own anything besides my own characters and thought process. _

* * *

Our cloaked protagonist traveled for hours, looking for a place to rest in the alien town. He kept attracting strange glances from the strange people around him. As he looked around, he saw that they all looked humanoid all with variations of all looks and colors. Some had bat or bird wings on their backs or wings for their hands. Some had horns protruding from their heads, others had multiple eyes and many more features that if he had stopped to look at each one, he would be at this town for many times longer than he needed to be. Unfortunately, he did not have time to, but he did pick up on a few key details...

They all had one thing in common. They were all female for some higher reason, and they all looked at the cloaked man, with eyes glowing with sexual desire. The internal unease built up in the man as he watched gazes shift onto solely him. He started walking faster through the town, the constant glances only escalating to calls to come over and lewd welcoming hand gestures as he passed building to building. A few of the women started to walk behind him but kept a decent distance. As that space between the man and the growing group of women started closing, he sped up his walking. Walking turned into jogging, jogging turned into running and running turned into a full-on sprint for his life as he ran through the streets, the women staying on his heels the entire time with unnatural ease.

He could see refuge in the distance. The wagon that he had arrived in, with two horses attached by the muzzle. He went for it in large strides, but three monster girls appeared in front of it from seemingly nowhere. They aimed to trap him and have him cornered from his freedom. In a humongous effort, he jumped over them in a way that only fear-instigated adrenaline could make possible. He, for a moment, thought that he would be free of whatever fate would have come to him, his jump leveling out as he was close to landing, ready to slide under the carriage and hop in like a batter going for home base. Alas, one of the winged ones that circled from above had foreseen this possibility and tackled into the ground. Dazed, his vision faded in and out as many of the women then started to swarm him, filling his view until everything went black...

* * *

Then he woke up. He frantically looked around, only to just see the usual and familiar look of his bedroom. He frantically looked outside, only to see the familiar look of his village that he lived in. From the dirt roads to the electric lamps that were just invented, to the people and the wooden buildings, nothing seemed out of place. Relived he was in no danger, he went to go freshen himself up in the bathroom and prepare for the day.

Through the mirror, he could see his reflection despite the obvious wear on the frame. A decent height of 5 ft 7, light skin, brown hair that was combed forward, its tips just past his head. He had an average build, leaning slightly toward the lean side. Slight defined muscle showed through his shirt, gained by his daily workouts to stay in shape. He stayed staring at himself for about a dozen minutes, before shaking his head and going back to cleaning and grooming himself. He never did have the best attention span, but at least he was smarter than most of his peers around him.

Finished, he went downstairs into his small but nice and clean house and made himself a nice breakfast before going out to work in his blacksmithing shop nearby. He was an artisan, crafting weaponry and rare items while dabbling in textile work, and he loved every moment of freedom that comes from self-employment. The heart and soul he puts in to follow his customers demands to the literal letter and stitching. The happiness on their faces when they see the quality give he charges so little compared to companies and fellow competition for. It is his day-brightener, and part of his reasoning to

He also loves the fact of how he never knows what one could ask him to fashion. Sure, he gets the occasional bad apple and ends up in the middle of a battle, but he has learned from experience and created plans for that occurrence. His only request for the client is that the materials and instructions are ready for him from the very beginning of an order. Magic users and mythical beings have also take a chance on this mortal and left more satisfied than they ever thought. It was one of these higher-level creatures that came to him with something particularly interesting and a project that would change the course of his life.

* * *

He had already received the letters coming in, one letter arriving at his doorstep per day. From them, he pieced everything together. The old Demon Lord has been defeated by a newcomer that had risen up the ranks. This newcomer, a succubus, has become the new Demon Lord. At first, he thought this was a hoax since his major supply of revenue came from the mythical beasts that came through the door, simply because they were as wealthy with rare artifacts and gold as they were powerful and feared. However, his views quickly changed as he saw those same creatures walking in, now looking more female with varying features. At first, he had no idea these were the creatures that had done business with him before. That facade was quickly broken once the newly formed woman said his name and gave greetings of familiarity, then explained that 'she' has done business with the man before and were now 'mamono' which was the new term being used for the girls with the parts of monsters.

Despite this new development, his business remained just as profitable as before, maybe even more. The only difference is that now, he sometimes got lewd glances from his new mamono customers as the watched over his shoulder and snuggled with him when he took a break amidst work. It was a weird and new custom that everyone soon started doing as a norm, and he too eventually accepted this close contact as a normality. Throughout this change, the letters started coming more, each explaining with more and more detail each of each part of the garment, and each time promising that the material would be ready once the DL comes for the start of the making of what he concluded to be a royal dress, worn for only the highest of ceremonies. He was getting excited, his creative spirit flowing more and more with each detail he received. He arranged and pieced together the dress via sketches on his board, mapping out the estimated parameters before the material even came.

One day, while he was working on making jewelry for a black harpy, someone knocked at his door. Opening his workshop door, he saw a Slimy figure in an unexpectedly dry maid outfit carrying cleaning supplies. "Um, hello there. Have you come with a request?" He said bowing to the slime. The slime patted his head and held a book in front of him. "It is an archive that lists all the different types of have been rewarded one of the first copies, courtesy of our new Demon Lord and Professor Cross. I was told it might be useful to you." She said as the man took the book. He opened the book and flipped through it, stopping on a page when he saw one that looked like the maid and reading a bit. "Oh, you are a Shoggoth."

She nodded in agreement and peered into his home. "I have come to clean and get your workshop and home ready for our Demon Lord to stay," She said, waving the cleaning supplies around for emphasis. The man was confused, wondering why someone so grand would like to stay in his house. Nevertheless, he let the Shoggoth poke around and do its duty of cleaning. Over the next few weeks, his workshop was closed as different groups of mamono came to do something to his house and his wardrobe. A wright and Arachne came to fit him into new clothing fit to be presented. Pharaohs and Mages did a variety of spells on the house, claiming it was to either "purify" or "prepare" it, then saying nothing more whenever he asked. Orcs and Ogres routinely took shifts guarding the workshop to make sure no one went in as it was being remodeled as well. Giant Ants and Dark Elves remodeled the house foundation and plumbing, then added an entire basement level, making it look fancier than he would have ever thought it would be.

On the day of the visit, a high orc woke him up out of him. Kikimoras cleaned him and fitted him into regal clothing, an a Youko made him a meal for breakfast. Mamono were milling around but slowly filling out, putting up last minute art, enchantments, and drilling him on how to act in the presences of the Demon Lord and her Husband. Everyone finally left and let him be alone for the first time in days. He looked around aimlessly, not knowing what to do since he had grown accustomed to being surrounded by busy mamono. Finally, he decided to get one of the books off the newly built shelf. Midway through his book on Mermaids, he heard fanfare and screaming coming from out the door. He got up and peeked through the window, seeing families flee in one direction as different mamono in white and purple armor ran in unison after. He closed the window immediately and dove for under his carpet, where he had hidden an escape tunnel in case a mamono invasion took over his town.

Except, the Giant Ants had filled it in with dirt and hard solid sediment. Then again, he should have expected that in retrospect since his house was being renovated...

He looked frantically in the places he had hidden weapons, teleportation spells, anything for emergencies. However, his house was cleanly swept through in preparation. His anxiety grew as his mind wandered back to the dream, his psyche horrified at being mentally broken through sex. Then came the knocks on his door.

_Knock Knock Knock._

Completely terrified, he grabbed a knife and a cooking ladle, and silently shuffled to the door, fully expecting the worst to unfold. The knocks came again, an impatient growing as he crept closer to the door. "Is anyone home captain?" Came a confident and commanding voice. "Yes Mistress, I can sense the craftsman's spirit energy leaking through!" went another, sounding directly over the door. Finally, he had reached the door and proceeded to yank it open, putting on his focus and power into one, single shot of the ladle. He closed his eyes and aimed high, hoping to at least knock one out to make a break for it. He heard the wooden ladle make contact, and a body fall to the side. Surprised, he opened his eyes, seeing a Dark Priest laying on her side, cupping the red spot on her cheek with one hand one of the armored shoulders tended to her. Quickly! Now as the time to make a r-

"When I requested for letters to be sent to the home of the known craftsman, I did not expect such a brute~" Came a voice to the side. The man turned his head to the side, seeing the most alluring thing he could have ever fathomed. Her body and face were covered in gold plated armor, but he could see the intricate curves all the same. She rode on a pitch-black horse that seemed to be just as imposing. Horns and wings protruded out through holes custom-crafted through the armor. Although he didn't know what it was at the time, he could feel her overbearing aura all over, feeling pushed down under as if the gravity suddenly increased. Instead, he just dropped the ladle and knife he was holding and recited what he was told to do in his head.

"Welcome to my h-house your highness," he said awkwardly, bowing from where he stood. "Stand, craftsman," he heard her command, immediately going back to his upright position. "So, this is the one that the wyvern spoke up priest?" The armored ruler said, speaking to the one that was sitting on the ground, still massaging the sting out of her cheek. "Yes, Mistress. May I request that I take refuge inside his house?" She said. The Demon Lord nodded, two soldiers coming to help the hurt priest up then guide her inside. The craftsman cleared his throat, trying as much as possible to not look fearful. "Well then, do you want to come into my house?" He said, opening the door to his inside. The DL shook her head and nodded to the soldier beside her. The soldier came up the man with a chest, lined with patterns of silk and silver. "Inside that chest are the materials you will need to complete this dress," the soldier stated. "Our Mistress will reside in your home until then. Now begin."

The man stared at the chest, then back at the soldier. "I don't think I can carry this entire chest by myself to my workshop..."

Two other soldiers came up beside him. One helped the other carry the chest to its location, and the other took the craftsman by the hand and followed in suit. As he was lead away from his home, the craftsman looked behind him, seeing the Demon lord and a male knight came in behind her. The male knight looked human like him, but gave off the same eerie feeling as the Demon Lord. _He must be just as powerful, _the man thought to himself. Once at the workshop, he unlocked the doors and pushed them open, turning on the candlelight to reveal the place. They were in the front of the workshop, mostly occupied with spaces to wait for products to be finished (be it his client was small enough to fit inside and not absurdly large). The craftsman led them to the back, where all the main tools were located. Everything you would need to create was here and primed, from doing Alchemy to making a simple knife. However, he would need the assistance of the client if he was to make a potion. It was one of the things he could not do.

"Now, will you begin?" One of the three soldiers said as they stepped to the side away from him, still watching his every move. "Any chance you could not stare at me so hard?" He asked. The three soldiers shook their heads in unison, then the one in the middle stepped forward. "We were given orders to monitor your process to ensure that you are not conspiring to poison or weaken our Mistress."

"That...makes sense. Alright." The craftsman opened the chest to see what he had to work with. Inside, there were different spools of silk, neatly arranged clumps of metal, and potions to enchant what he created. Besides the materials, there were specialized tools created specifically for use on this dress alone. Finally, underneath it all layed the blueprints and instructions for creating the dress to perfection. The unease that plagued him for the last hour or so began to melt away as he looked at everything, smiling.

He began to make the dress that day, working into the evening to first prepare the individual sections of the dress. The metal sculpting was the first priority, creating the pieces that would be attached to the dress. For this, the soldiers aided him in holding down pieces to ensure that each ridge was hit exactly in the way it needed to be. His pace, however, started to slow when it was early in the morning, his need for sleep growing as minutes passed by. He was urged on to continue, but in the end he had to stop himself before crushing his hand under the hammers and machines he used. He was carried back to the house and laid down in the basement, tucked in by the soldiers as his eyes finally dropped down to rest.

He was woken up later that day with repeated pokes on his noggin. He opened his eyes to see himself tied to the chair, bound with ropes on his arms and legs. "Finally, you have woken up," The priest said. She held up a box to his head and opened it, reveal small trinkets and pictures inside the box.

"What's this?" She said as she took one of those things out of the box and held it up. It was a necklace with the order Lescatie emblem and at the center a small picture of a picture of him and three other people. His eyes widened with surprise. Of all the things that were cleared out of his house, he did not expect his personal box to remain. "I didn't know you were from Lescatie," She said glaring at the craftsman. "Why do you have such propaganda in your home? Our mistress found it yesterday hidden in the back of your drawer. You do not know how shocked it made her and her husband..."

"Husband?" the craftsman asked.

"Yes, husband. Now, how can be we sure that we can trust you, orderite?" He felt the glare bore into his skull as if he had done something wrong. "I lived there during my c-childhood, then moved here a few years ago..." He responded, looking at the box. "It was one of the few things from my childhood I took with me. You know, for sentimental value. I promise, I'm not in cahoots with anyone," he said, staring back at the Priest. After remaining silent for a second, she put the items back inside it's box and placed it down. She untied the craftsman then stepped back, anticipating an attack that never came. "I see, you are either truthful or bidding your time...just go eat your meal and continue your working."

After eating a quick breakfast that was cooked for him, he was taken back to his workshop to continue his progress on the ceremonial dress. He quickly finished sculpting the shoulder wear with the rest of the metal left, then continued onto the dress. He took the balls of skill and the sewing tools provided and started making the main component. With help from a shoggoth, he was able to work the dress from top to bottom, stitching sections together like puzzle pieces as the request slowly but surely came to life. Soon, the dress was resting on a mannequin, the metal trinkets on it gleaming in the yellow workshop light. However, after all this work, there was still one thing left to be done...

* * *

"You request what?" The priest said to him, in surprise from being caught off guard by the question. "I need the Demon Lord to be with me when I put on the spells. It's the only way I can make sure I do it the right way."

"Even if I did consider even asking such a thing, what makes you think that she would agree to it?" The dark priest asked back. "Well for one thing, I suck at alchemy so..."

"Then we can get a mage to be with you."

"Nope. It has to be the wearer of the dress. Only the wearer knows what is best for themself."

"Never! It is improbable!"

"Then I just won't finish it." He folded his arms assertively to prove his point. The priest just scoffed at him, trying to comprehend how mad he must be to do such a thing. Surely her Mistress will smite him with the blackest of lightning for even considering not doing the job, then lock him in a slime coated room! With tentacles! and bound by chains and-

"Well?" he reiterated, still staring. Whatever may happen to him, he certainly didn't seem to be budging now. Signing loudly, the priest huffed it up to the Demon Lord's bedroom. The craftsman waited several minutes for any indication, then left to wait after not getting one to wait. He sat by the dress and reviewed the stitching bored until a knock came from the door. "Come in," he said as several guards came through and lined up by the wall, followed by the Demon Lord herself in the armor she arrived in. "My priest tells me that you have requested my presence?" She said, her voice gaining an echo through the head-armor that hides her facial features.

"I wanted you to um...be in the room as me when I use the potions on the dress," he said. "I am not good at alchemy, so if I do it without someone watching..."

"Fine then. Go on and add the potions. You have already drawn me here with that silly question..."

With her half-heartedly watching behind him, he took a small and large paintbrush from his own set and dabbed both in one bottle, starting to coat the newly made garment in protective mana. The bristles and dress seemed to glow in the workshop light as he covered broader areas with the larger brush, then filled in the rest with the more precise small brush. If he finished one coat and the bottle he was using wasn't done, he would just add on another coat, and another until he either ran out of potion to use or was requested to stop. From there, he would move on to the second, more corrupted potion, and finally the red one that radiated whenever he touched even the bottle with his glove-protected hand.

After the last stroke with his hand, he gently placed the brush down and backed away until he was right in front of the guard. The final product looked almost as stunning as the DL herself, it's beauty increasing in the craftsman's eyes as the potions he spent careful ages on started to dry and set on the fabric and metal. "Is that it?" The demon lord said as two soldiers came forward, poking and prodding at the dress to ensure it is safe for their Mistress to wear. "The potions were the last thing to do. The dress should be ready to wear now, your highness."

"Very well. Priest, escort him back to his house to rest. The rest of you except for six, guard this dress. We will leave first thing after our second reason for being here..."

"Second reason?" The craftsman said, looking up at the Demon Lord as the Dark Priest took his hand and started to lead him away. He received no answer on the walk to his home, seeing maids carrying items and clearing out the house of personal items for him to live in again. "My mistress seemed pleased with your work craftsman," She said as she waited for a kikimora carrying a lamp to pass before going inside and taking him to the kitchen. "She did? I could only see her eyes under all that armor..." He responded to the Priest.

"Yes, now you have one more task to do before we leave you with your reward." She sat him down and left for a moment, before coming back with a cloth for him. "Please, may you smell this to see if this smells like chloroform? My nose is quite fragile to certain scents and I want to be sure what it is."

"You're knocking me out!?" He said, jumping up and backing away. "Yes, I was not sure if you would like what wonders Mistress will have for your town, and if you are asleep it wouldn't take as much effort to calm you down." She approached him, still holding the cloth. "Please, just do this simple thing. Don't give us a reason to call you an orderite and have your chasity slain."

The craftsman stared at the Priest, then the chloroform, then the Priest again. "I would rather just go to bed," he said, taking himself up to his room and flopping onto his bed, making himself go to sleep. The priest's voice reverberated in and out of his ears, slowly dimming as he lost consciousness under his own will...

* * *

As soon as his sleep cycle allowed it he forced himself up, soon regretting doing that as a headache quickly formed in his head from getting up to fast. Still, he dropped the knife from it's hiding spot in his sleeve and waved it in one instinctive slash. No one was around him. As is grogginess faded he was able to get up and analyze his surroundings. He had fully expected to be kidnapped or enslaved by the large group, but he was still in his own refurbished room, with the usual posters and art in support of the Demon Lord hanging around. His lamp had been turned on and his curtains had been drawn, meaning that at some point someone had come in. He searched every inch of his room, refusing to believe that there has been nothing left for him, trap nor reward. Wait, where was his pay?

While searching the closet, something cold and wet poked his back. He turned around brandishing the knife in his hand. He saw a mindflayer, quickly drawing her hand back as she saw him get into a defensive state. "My my, did you really expect us to do something horrible to you while you have slept?"

"It wouldn't have been the first time it has happened," he said, withdrawing the knife. "Of course it wouldn't have Calice. I'm sure you remember that incident where a clan battle broke out in front of your workshop well."

"Wait. How did you know my name was Calice?" He said, arching an eyebrow at the mindflayer. "Didn't you read that book the Shoggoth gave you? I can just reach into your ears and read your deepest thoughts like this..." two small tendrils extended out of her body, each one wiggling into his ear then calming down. "Right now, you are wondering where your reward for making the dress is. Well, your reward awaits you in Royal Makai Calice, or at least it will once it is completed."

"Royal Makai? There's already a capital?" Calice said, wondering how the Demon Lord established a kingdom this fast. "Yes, what did you think our lord just slouches around and talks to mortals like you all the time now? Well she does that, but she still has important matters to establish, and as her subjects, we all must move at full speed and spread her word as far and as fast as we can."

"I don't think there is a 'we' here," Calice responded. "Other than my reward, I'm still going to be staying here. This is still my house and workshop essentially."

"So you wouldn't mind the changes we made to your village? That's great then!"

"What changes?" Calice responded as the mindflayer took them both over to his bedroom window, she pulled it open, showing the evening being illuminated with purple lights lining the village. Above, a red-tinted moon shined moonlight down where the street lamps didn't touch. The women that ran the vender had grown horns and a cow's tail on her butt. The children that ran around had tails, paws, and other appendages that varied from family to family. The entire place seemed emptier as families had surely fled, but the increased amount of mana filling the air almost filled the void left behind. "What the fuck?" Calice muttered under his breath as he looked at everyone milling around. It was seeming awfully similar to his dream. "Do you love it? This is part of our thanks to your work. Because of you, our Mistress will have a nice dress to wear for special occasions and holidays, and now you, if you wish, can build a harem of your own. Or marry someone here. Whatever you wish.~"

"But I don't want to marry anyone here!" Calice suddenly exclaimed, turning around to face the mindflayer. "I know there was a chance I wouldn't get anything, and that's fine. But I didn't want my village overrun! Just, maybe a cursed item or something at least."

"I understand your reaction. Most humans react like this when first hearing of this change. You will come around eventually, you just don't know it yet..." Her hand moved awfully close to his crotch, which he noticed and bapped away, to her dismay.

"Come on, it is part of your reward. Besides, you must at least let me give you some fun before we go on the journey to Makai." Calice stared at her, trying to make sure he isn't in any immediate danger. She looked as peaceful as could be, sitting on the bed and patting the spot on her lap.

He couldn't deny that he was already under the lewd effect of the mana she radiated.

He also couldn't find anything dangerous about her that she could possibly do. She could do them, but she wouldn't...right?

"Are you going to keep me waiting? We have a long night ahead of us~" She piped up, forming her hand into an onnahole. Reluctantly, he stored the knife in his pants and went over to take his place on her. In a moment, she had his pants off and was willfully stroking away at his exposed member, watching joyfully as his skeptically look softened into silent moaning. It was going to be a long but pleasurable night for him.


	2. Chapter 2

(Currently being edited)  
(1/26/19 - Life basically urged I better myself for a bit. Can't believe I waited so long to start writing this again though...)

* * *

Calice didn't remember much from last night. His mind was too busy melting in the hold of the mindflayer to make any lasting memories. When he is not having sex with her, she is serving as a maid to her as she got him ready for him to make the journey to Royal Makai. First things first, she had to get him on board, somewhat using a few of her tricks to bend his mindset.

Just a few.

After a week of this cycle of sex, food, and mind easing, he agreed to go to Royal Makai during the afternoon of the 5th day. The mindflyer smiled, satisfied with her work of fully convincing him. After another quick round of intercourse, They packed his essential belongings, his tools, his clothing, his favorite books. But most importantly and sentimental, the necklace with the order emblem, and a framed picture of his past to always remember. The mindflayer warned against it, saying it was not wise to bring an orderite necklace into a demonic territory. Still, Calice stashed it in the corner of his wardrobe chest despite warnings of it being destroyed or corrupted. After he had packed everything, he closed his suitcase and went outside of his house, looking at his place one last time before most likely leaving it forever. "Are you set? If we go now we can make it to the first part of our journey by sundown," Said the mindflayer, waiting by the carriage that will take them. He nodded, pushing his chest along the ground and lifting it onto the back of the carriage with a grunt. He still couldn't believe he had agreed to such a journey as the one that was laid out before him.

Since the war between factions was still ongoing, the best and safest way to go was along the coast of Zipangu, then taking a shortcut through the sea straight to the collection of demon realms past the mist. _Coincidentally_, this route also took them near some important, already established places that could easily be visited along the way. As the unicorn pulling the carriage yawned and start pulling it along. For one creature, it was strong enough to trot along leisurely as the carriage was towed along behind her. He watched his house as it got smaller in distance, fading into the backdrop of the trees that began to fill his vision. "Aren't you excited? You see less enthusiastic than I would think you would be," the mindflayer said as she looked at the woods along with him. "You know, I had a family once. A lethal bunch, they were. Especially my father. He was the best abyssal creature I ever knew. I was pretty sad when I had to leave, but I was happy to, because I was on a new adventure, with a new opportunity."

"I probably don't even have a family to count on for support," Calice said, turning around and slouching in the chair. "My father was pretty fine with me going out on my own, but with all the letters I've sent them, they probably think I'm dead at this point. I don't blame them; I would think that I am dead too if I kept getting things talking about how he was in danger."

"Well, you have me for support, right?" She offered, holding her hands out in a hug. He shrugged, turning to his side to stare out at the scenery that they pasted on the dirt road. Time flew by as he got lost in his thoughts, some out of sheer boredom, and others out of uncertainty. He didn't notice anything happening around him until he saw sand pass his eyes, taking a moment to register the new sight.

He asked as he looked around now confused how they had gotten so far when in reality he had just been in his own head for a loooong while. They were right beside an empty beach that the path they were on came on to. The sound of a carriage going along the sand and slightly rougher gravel replaced the silence that was here before. Soon after that sound started, the carriage suddenly came to a slow halt. "What happened Bella?" The mindflayer said as she hopped out and moved beside the unicorn. "This place leads into the Mist. We were supposed to turn here right?" Bella responded, pointing to the land beyond. "You're right, the general aura changes here. Calice!"

"Yes?" He said, hopping out and walking up beside the two mamono. "A priest with a mermaid tail will be here for you if you wait here with the carriage. I must take this unicorn here through the mist so she isn't kidnapped by some humans or dark elves."

"Wait, what if someone kidnaps me?" Calice asked, worried about being stranded on a beach alone. "You have survived up to this point. Between your memories and the fact that you still have the knife from when I first met you hiding on your person, I am sure you can handle yourself. Sadly, I will not be able to see if you are alive or not after."

"You're leaving!?"

"Yes Calice, but if you make it to Makai, we can be together again! Or me, you, and a wife if you get one." She winked and started walking, taking Bella the unicorn with her. Dumbfounded, Calice watched as the Mindflayered walked away into the plains. He did as he was told, fiddling with the stuff in his chest as he waited for the mermaid priest to show up. Rainclouds started blowing in overhead as he re-sorted hiss stuff for the 5th time and played with the crab-girls. Faster than the clouds came, the rain started pouring down on the shoreline and he had to retreat into the still carriage, taking his stuff in with him and getting in the main compartment. He let the two cancer that he hung out with in too so they could stay dry as well. They all huddled together on the floor of the carriage, the muffled rumble of thunder and pitter-patter of rain making for a soothing noise to fall asleep too.

He woke up to knocking on the door of the carriage. Yawning, he crawled out from the pile of crabs and opened the door, letting it swing open. A blue-haired woman was "standing" in front of him on her matching blue tail. Fins came out from her waist and wrists, the beginnings of each hidden by her white uniform jacket. In her hands, she was holding a slab of stone that had writing on its surface. "Are you the Priest that the mindflayer was talking about?" Calice asked.

"Yes, but I will prefer it if you call me a Sea Bishop instead if you won't ask for my name," she said, pointing to the shore. "I have gotten permission to take you through the ocean to meet up your normal escort." She said. "It will be a long journey, so we will be making a quick stop into Atlantis to recoup your energy, then we will continue on our way. Would that be fine sir?"

Yes, but I can't breathe underwater, and my stuff will get wet, and-"

"No worries, all those problems will be taken care of if it helps. Now let's go shall we?" She said. He nodded and came outside yawning. The rain had stopped, the clouds just hanging overhead now. Calice followed the Bishop back to shore, pulling his chest along with a bit of struggle. "For us to travel, we also must give you the fins of a merman, unless you happened to have swimwear and fins and flippers."

"Don't have that really..." Calice replied, stopping once he felt water brush along with his shoes. "Then we must do a tome ritual to morph you for travel," If you would just undress, then we can get started...

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" He said. The Bishop simply continued unbuttoning her overcoat, her black bra exposed to his view. "To perform the spell, there is a certain amount of spirit need. To get that mana, we must take part in intercourse so I can collect enough power to do the spell," She pushed Calice onto his black, proceeding to then lay on him as to sandwich his body between the sandy beach and her own skin. Calice felt something wet rub against his crotch, his member beginning to harden from the subtle stimulation she gave as she gyrated her hips against him. His protests fell on deaf ears, as she ignored him and continued on with her endeavor until he was as hard as the handlebars on the coach that laid motionless behind the two. She then shed the remainder of their clothing and picked up her tome, reading to transform him. "May Posiedon grant me power," She said under her breath, keeping him pinned under her as she inserted his member into her wet folds, humping away at him as she spoke in a different language. The tome she picked up was pressed in between her chest, pulsing with blue light as she spoke and fucked.

Calice's head swirled with lust and other emotions as the Bishop's tome's pulsing grew brighter. He grabbed at the bishop's hips and squeezed, getting the bishop to yelp in the midst of her spell. He began thrusting up into her, getting her to moan and pant in between the constant strings of spell-language she yelled. Calice's hands and feet began growing fins not long after he took control of the lewding, the rush of mana into him only intensifying his lust. He began to feel frustrated with the limit on his thrusting movement into her, their combined motion unable to sate what was growing inside him. He rolled himself and the bishop over, a surprising look coming from the Bishop as she stopped to stare at the panting man above her. The fins on his wrists and ankles had finished growing, but the full effect of the spell itself wasn't done. She looked at the tome beside her, still pulsing but laying in the said a foot away from her.

"W-wait, I haven't finished the sp-eeeeaaaaahhhh!" Her sentence was interrupted once he had started up again, now thrusting in and out of her with all the strength he could muster in his current state. She reached her hand towards the tome and pulled it toward her, holding it against Calice's chest as she struggled to finish the spell. Upon the bit of her spell, he suddenly hilted himself inside her, inseminating her womb with his potent cum. He then collapsed onto her, panting as his face landed softly onto the Bishop's breasts, his consciousness fading while his cock twitched a few more times inside her defiled pussy...

* * *

He woke up to a blue haze filling his returning sight. He at first figured that his eyes played tricks on him, still recovering from the bout of sex that he had with the bishop. As his vision cleared, however, he began to see the details of light shining down on him from the water surface. Every breath he took caused bubbles to rise up in front of him to the surface. "Has the tome worked it's power? Can you breath?" A familiar voice went beside him. Before he could turn to it, the voice grabbed his shoulders and spun him to face it...or her. It was the bishop, all dressed up once more after their "spellcasting" on the beach. "It worked, your gills seemed to be working normally."

"Gills?" Calice said, holding his hand to his neck and shoulders. He found what felt like flaps at the base of his neck, moving up and down against his hand. "Why do I have Gills!?" He said, feeling a state of panic coming to him. The Bishop saw it too, grabbing his waist and holding him to snuff it out. "You were morphed so you could be underwater for the next leg of our journey. Are you ready to go, or do you need a moment to come to terms with yourself?"

"I think I need a glass of water..."

"We are literally underwater Calice."

"A glass of air?" He tried. The bishop rolled her eyes and took Calice's hand, towing him along as she swam further down. His modified eyes adjusted to the growing darkness, making the view appear as if he was still near the surface. He tried swimming as he was pulled along, quickly learning how to move his fins and arms under the constant condition of being taken throughout the ocean. When he wasn't learning to swim, the bishop was showing him around the ocean, and it's amenities. He got to meet an Aspara and drink her milk; he helped fix a broken chariot for a Nereid and her husband and got to looks at treasure chests that he and the Bishop past on the way. At one point, they had reached a ridge that rivaled some of the large canyons he heard about in the past. He stared into the abyss, wondering how deep it goes down when he saw giant red eyes open up in the darkness and stare up at him, causing him to jump back a few feet. "Don't worry Calice, those are just the demons of chaos hanging out down there," the bishop to him. "Didn't they wage an ent-tire war?" He responded, clearly distraught that she speaks so casually of entities sealed away as a result of a sea war.

"Yes, they did. That's why they are now stuck in the abyss, unable to cause havoc ever again," The sea bishop responded, patting Calice's head. "Now, we go to our last spot. You see, I rank a little higher than most bishops, high enough to be in Poseidon's castle."

"But we haven't even finished talking about this..." Calice said, seeing a night gaunt fly up passed him and up towards the surface. "One just escaped!"

"Oh, that is just one of the creatures of chaos. They are harmless and friendly. A bit rough, not no more so than the hellhounds. Now lets continue on!" she said, swimming off in the direction of the god herself now that she had finished shrugging off any question Calice had about the abyss. Seeing that she won't be stopping, he took one last look at the trench before swimming behind her.

* * *

The city was larger than any painting Calice had seen could portray. It looked more like a bustling metropolis rather than an ancient city, brimming with life as bright's as the lights that surround its edges and paint the view. He did not have time to see almost anything though, as the bishop took a beeline to the castle, the pearl of the already fancy crown of a city.

The castle was grand, surrounded by a variety of underwater gardens, and towers strategically placed to ward off an invasion. As they arrived at the entrance, armored Nereids got in the way of their passage and blocked the space between them with spears. "State your name and status." They asked the Bishop and Calice. The bishop came forward and whispered in each one of their ears. When she stepped back, they lowered their spears and nodded, asserting permission them to pass into the inside. In the hall they entered, Calice saw maids and male servants dressed in blue victorian style, moving along with their duties like water moving around a rock as the duo went up the levels of the castle. Each level they passed either was either more unique or grander than the past, until the last three levels of housing of the workers of the castle, and the very top where Poseidon herself resides.

"I'm getting nervous again," Calice said stopping right before reaching the door to the throne room. It showcased the emblem of position, a large blue triton outlined in gold, with something purple leaking from the outer prongs and middle bar, all against a black circle backdrop. It was imposing and symbolic at the same time and froze Calice in his tracks as he stared at it. "Do you like it?" The bishop said, taking Calice's hand once more and leading him towards the door with a bit of power to overcome his weight working against her. "It used to be less color and more lightning, but ever since our god's glorious change she had the bright idea to modernize her symbol of power. Keep with the times you will..."

"I can't do this miss, I have to turn back, I-"

"Sssh, you'll do great," The bishop said, giving the door a small push and letting it open at a slow pace. "Now, let us go. She won't smite you I promise." She assured as the door finished opening, stopping its motion with a large click that reverberated in the ears of all that could hear it. The movement of the door revealed the throne of Poseidon in all her glory. It looked to be made of pure lapiz lazuli, her own view a silhouette as her body is covered by the blue curtains that drape over the throne. "The famous blacksmith, he arrives. Did you enjoy the tour?" She asked from her concealed vantage point. "Yes your majesty, the bishop that guided me here even taught me how to swim underwater," Calice said, kneeling on the floor before the goddess. "That is divine. You may stand back up now, no need to dirty your clothing with this floor," she said, Calice standing back at attention to her. "Atlantis was and will always be the jewel of my existence, although it has undergone some changes to honor the new demon lord," she began. "I no longer rule with so much as an iron fist, and my underlings no longer war with violence and death. Speaking of which..."

As she trailed off, a particular guard stepped forward. It was an Undine, her translucent body making her easy to blend in, if not for her unique purple armor. The armor had the same design of the others, but with tiny extra modifications and a golden emblem that served as the majority of the breastplate. Calice stared at the armor for a moment, before it clicked a memory from his unconscious. He was the creator of that emblem and had just made the sale of it to the client. Not two hours later, he received news from an undisclosed source that that same client had died from an ambush, and that the crest had a new owner.

"I was the one that killed that human, but I had regretted it for the longest time ever since the change. This ship hallmark became the symbol of the upper guards, and I must thank you for it." She bowed, not waiting for an apology before stepping back in her place in the line of guards.

"As you can see human, you _do _have influence in this castle, and we understand if you have a hurt soul for our past actions," Poseidon stated. "Since the Demon Lord has had her taste of you, I requested to have a taste of your work myself. You will work here for the next week in the center castle, designing new architecture, armor, and the like. You will also be taught skills that, even as a craftsman, you don't have, and attended to for maximum focus. No, you do not have a say in this." She snapped as guards began to guide Calice out of the room, putting an abrupt end to his visit.

* * *

He had the night to rest before his week started, getting placed within a room and his belongings waterproofed, then neatly unpacked into his closet with efficiently fast. His food was brought to his room so he didn't have a need to travel, delicacies from the night district of Atlantis. He ate them, pondered on how everything had a base taste of salt, then went to bed to get some important sleep for the morning. He had dreams of mindflayer that had left him in safe, albeit wet hands before somehow taking the long away around the shoreline with the unicorn. He had dreams of the Demon lord waiting for him in makai, giving him off for a wife of his own and having him settled in to start working in a prominent design position. It was vivid as if the mindflayer was actively still controlling his mind from far away, urging his resistance to calm down and accept the great possibilities that awaited him.

Then he woke up.

It was a knock at the door that first jolted him from his slumber. Drowsy, he slipped out of bed and opened the door. It was a pair of undine guards in blue armor, holding his breakfast and bathroom amenities. They politely came in, washing him and making him look proper like a student with a king for a father. They took him to a room on the main bottom floor, where there was a multitude of tools and a group of maids waiting for him. They sat him down and gave him the basic information about the castle. How to navigate it, how to make requests, how to summon certain people and how to notify that he is done with a particular task. He nodded and nodded, running at half-capacity as his brain sluggishly took in the information presented to him. It helped a lot once his breakfast came, waking him up just in time for his first assignment.

Poseidon needed a new and modified trident to fit with the times, one that can duel out punishment and reward, be it lewd or not. That meant tainting the godly metals it uses with DE, then making it with tools that won't demean its stature. Per usual, he was given everything he needed, including gloves and protective gear that would keep his mortal figure from dying from any mishaps that happen. With his goggles on and a miniature volcano ready for him to use for molding, he got to work. He turned a red valve, lava oozing out a vent in the school project sized mountain onto a sloped tray, traveling down to a pool where it drained back down for reheating and reuse back through the vent. Next, got the mold for the trident, it's size twice his own body, but light enough to carry like a lumberjack with a log since it was just a mold. He attached it to overhanging chains then lowered the mold down, it's bottom sizzling when landing in the lava, and slowly heating up.

Next, he got a large bucket and dragged it over to the molding station where the mold was still heating up from the lava. Inside the bucket was the tainted gold needed to make the trident, also preheated to make the process go fast. Double-checking if he had his gloves on right, he took each piece and placed it inside the mold, watching it quickly melt as he added more and more gold. By the last chunk, he was dropping into a slow-filling pool of liquid gold. He watched, liking the smell the sizzling soup gave off as he waited for everything to mix and swirl in the hot mixture.

Once he felt everything was done, he turned the red valve back, the lava flow stopping as the rest flowed down the drain. He then turned the blue valve next to it, just enough water flowing in to cover the bottom as the mold and the gold inside cooled. While waiting, he got to on a sketch for his later work. By busying himself, the time seemed to pass faster, the pleasant smell of cooking gold fading from his nose. He looked up and checked, seeing everything hardened with the non-gold minerals coating the bottom of the trident. With a request of help, he was able to clean and polish the trident, seeing his reflection as he finished polishing the last spot. He then called for a painter, holding the golden trident up with his entire body pushing against it while the painter nereid took her time with the blue and purple paint.

In one afternoon, he and the painter finished the trident, ending with a nice little inconspicuous signature from both of them on the bottom of the trident. "Will we get in trouble?" Calice asked as he signed, his name as small as he could under the Nereid's. "I believe not. Many have left their mark on public and royal work. You can sometimes find signatures on things that you wouldn't want someone else claiming unless people already knew your style and territory. Now, shall we bring this to Mistress Poseidon? I can't wait to start designing the new architecture for some buildings alongside you..."


End file.
